Wine regions, Part 1: Côtes du Rhône

In partnership with Côtes du Rhône

Côtes du Rhône is one of the first regions that comes in mind when talking about wine and it is the first region I went to discover wines in 2018. Just over an hour-long flight from London and I landed in Lyon. A short drive and I reached my base for discovering the region - Valence.

Côtes du Rhône is a region that offers a surprising level of diversity in terms of wines of both reliable and affordable quality. And it is an area that is still undervalued because world attention tends to focus on Bordeaux and Burgundy.

Northern Rhone

I met my friend who moved here from Paris and we set off for an adventure. The Côtes du Rhône Septentrional vineyards are primarily located on the hills on the right bank of the Rhone between Vienne and Valence. Here you’ll find the eight crus, with the character of the wines highly influenced by the area’s continental climate, with its warm, relatively dry summers, cold winters with frequent frost and snow, and by the amount of granite and other composite minerals in the soil. Due to the small annual production (± 50,000 hl) and a high level of global demand, these wines are usually quite expensive.

But today I wanted to focus on Southern Rhône more.

Côtes du Rhône Villages

The Côtes du Rhône Villages is a French wine Appellation D’Origine Controlée (AOC) in the Southern Rhone wine region of France where red, white and rosé wines are produced. Only 21 select areas in the South of The Côtes du Rhône Region claim the ‘Village‘ title. Strict regulations mean only ripe, low-yielding vines are used bringing more complexity and the heartiest flavour-packed wines making them perfect for aging. In the Southern part of the Rhône Valley, the vines grow on terraces, on the river’s alluvial plains and on slopes leading up to the region’s iconic hilltop villages. A separate category was introduced within The Côtes du Rhône Appellation in 1996 to showcase the quality and outstanding character of these wines and to give them more prominence. 21 of these villages are permitted to specify the name of the villages where the wine was produced - Côtes du Rhône Villages with geographical name or Côtes du Rhône Villages Communaux.

The Côtes du Rhône at your home

What is the most exciting, that now you don’t need to travel all the way to France to discover all these wines. Head to The Côtes du Rhône podcast collection and have a unique experience: Côtes du Rhône specialist, award-winning wine writer, author & broadcaster, Matt Walls and celebrity chef & wine expert, Joe Wadsack giving you the low down on the French appellation, as you sample the wine together.

Happy tasting!